Laura Flanders and Friends: Solutions-Focused Progressive Perspectives on Politics, News, and Culture

Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShowWe revisit an historic, inter-generational meeting of minds, Laura Flanders brings together New York Congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez and MIT professor emeritus Noam Chomsky—for the first time ever—to discuss the way forward for people, politics, and the planet. From labor strikes to racial uprisings to climate action to the Great Resignation, they reflect on the renewed power of collective organizing and the changing tide in economic thinking and electoral politics. Their insights demand that we think differently about everything from our nation’s history and its place in the world, to who can run for office in America and win. In their first face-to-face conversation, the mutual admiration is palpable. Laura closes with some thoughts on thinking the unthinkable.We do not accept advertisements or government funding.  We are independent movement media for the people, and funded by the people!  Become a member by making a one time donation or make it a monthly contribution at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

"When Marx was writing,  just under 200 years ago, jobs were still a relatively new and contentious concept.  "Wage slavery "as the liberal economists of the day called it, forced people to rent their labor out to others - at a loss. It wasn't slavery, but it wasn't freedom, either. ...."Related episode to check out:  This New Cooperative Business Model Could Change Everything   LISTEN / WATCHFlex your media muscles, become a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12 or make a one time donation  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShowMany of the world’s most successful businesses began as someone’s good idea. But the path from startup to conventional financial success typically involves going public, prioritizing shareholders’ interests, and ultimately selling to a giant conglomerate whose intentions are far from the original mission of the business’s founders. In this episode, Laura interviews guests who say this conventional path of success is desperately in need of an overhaul. Why must new and innovative ideas come to market through old and undemocratic platforms? What if rather than selling out, successful businesses became community assets that put ownership and governance in the hands of workers and even consumers? Could a startup become a means of building community wealth, economic justice, and accountability over our technology? Our guests explain how.  Music in the Middle:  Nickodemus and PJT remix of “Ain’t My Fault” by the Gulf Aid All-stars from the Turntables on the Hudson ‘Lost & Found in the Frying Pan’ collection.Guests:Pia Mancini, Co-Founder & CEO, Open CollectiveLauren Ruffin, Co-Founder, CruxNathan Schneider, Assistant Professor of Media Studies & Director Media Enterprise Design Lab, University of Colorado Boulder We do not accept advertisements or government funding.  We are independent movement media for the people, and funded by the people!  Become a member by making a one time donation or make it a monthly contribution at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

"A Free Press is vital if we are to have any chance at a functioning democracy.  On that, you’d think, Right and Left might agree...."The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests.Flex your media muscles, become a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

We do not accept advertisements or government funding.  We are independent movement media for the people, and funded by the people!  Become a member by making a one time donation or make it a monthly contribution at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate It’s that time of year when we all need resilience: elections, holidays, the change of seasons. Many of us need fortitude to get through. Reverend Dr. Jacqui Lewis would add that we need Fierce Love too. Reverend Jacqui is senior minister of Middle Collegiate Church in Manhattan's East Village. A year ago, the building burnt to the ground, but the story didn’t stop there. In this far-ranging conversation, Laura and Rev. Jacqui talk about mutual aid, colonial baggage, and the Reverend’s new book, Fierce Love: A Bold Path to Ferocious Courage and Rule-Breaking Kindness that Can Heal the World. Rev. Jacqui also shares what it took for her to emerge from a “bad touch” experience -- and how truth helps us move from fear to power in our relationship with ourselves, one another, and to making justice in the world.  Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow for members and non-members.  Support the show by becoming a member as a monthly supporter at Patreon.   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Will you help us meet our goal to raise $5,000 that will be matched, but only if we meet our goal?  Donate at https://LauraFlanders.org/donate  We do not accept advertisements or government funding.  We are media for the people!From the contest for governor of Virginia to school board races across the country, opposition to Critical Race Theory proved an effective tactic for Republican candidates to defeat Democrats in this November’s election. Does that justify the conclusions drawn by many in the media that Democrats need to stop talking so much about racism, history, and structural inequality? Must progressives face electoral reality, as many editorials have recently suggested, and tone down the so-called woke agenda? Or are there other ways to report the CRT story, and different conclusions to draw from November’s elections? Can the media go beyond the horserace? In this month’s “Meet the BIPOC Press” episode of The Laura Flanders Show, Laura leads a roundtable conversation exploring all of the above with URL Media co-founders Sara Lomax-Reese and Mitra Kalita and Editor-in-Chief at The Real News Network, Maximillian Alvarez.  Music in the Middle:  Jacques Renault's remix of “Keep It Working” by The Pendeltons from the collection ’20 Years of Bastard Jazz’ courtesy of DJ DRM’s own Bastard Jazz Records.  Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow for members and non-members.  Support the show by becoming a member as a monthly supporter at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow We do not accept corporate or government funding. We rely on you!   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Support the show by becoming a member as a monthly supporter at Patreon.com/theLFShow  We do not accept corporate or government funding.  We rely on you!  Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow for members and non-members.In the midst of a national reckoning with white supremacy and colonial history, Indigenous people are demanding a new relationship with DC — honoring the traditional, legal, and moral rights of native nations. Earlier this year, a group of Native organizers traveled with a 25-foot totem pole from the Lummi Nation in Washington State to Washington D.C. stopping for ceremonies in communities under threat and gathering messages for the Biden Harris administration. In DC they held a historic meeting with Interior Secretary Deb Haaland. In this episode, we hear what happened in that meeting, how Native movements are changing, among other myths, the thanksgiving story, and where a Red Road to the future might lead us - if we followed it. November is National American Indian Heritage Month, but as Judith LeBlanc, executive director of the Native Organizers Alliance put it, “the past and the future meet in the present. What are we doing today that will make our descendants proud of their ancestors?”“How do we begin to really shift the narrative and help Americans understand that when native peoples are taking a stand—whether it’s no DAPL at Standing Rock or, you know, the Keystone XL Pipeline and thinking about Fort Belknap Indian Community or the Rosebud Sioux Reservation—it’s not just a Native American issue. We’re defending the water and the land for tens of millions of Americans.”GUESTS:Judith LeBlanc, Director, Native Organizers AllianceCrystal Echo Hawk,  IllumiNative, Founder & CEOAnahkwet/Guy Reiter, Executive Director, Menīkānaehkem Community Rebuilders;  Water Protector, Menominee Indian TribeMari Margil, Executive Director, Center for Democratic and Environmental RightsFaith Spotted Eagle,  Ihanktonwon Dakota Elder & Brave Heart Society Kunsi MemberDeb Haaland, U.S. Secretary of the Interior   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Support the show by becoming a member as a monthly supporter at Patreon.com/theLFShow  We do not accept corporate or government funding.  We rely on you!  Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow for members and non-members.Could a city reduce violent crime by planting more trees? How will the culture of work adapt to the climate crisis? What will increased flooding in the Global South do to U.S. immigration patterns? In this month’s edition of Meet the BIPOC Press, guest hosts Sara Lomax Reese and Mitra Kalita from URL Media are back with a panel of journalists whose reporting explores these questions and more. They center Black and Brown people in their reporting on the environment and the climate crisis. From Philadelphia, to Haiti, to Bangladesh, to the American Gulf Coast, their conversation draws connections among a vast array of frontline communities, the crises they face, and the tools they’re using to respond. Then, Laura joins Sara and Mitra to reflect on how integrating the environment into policy could give us better solutions to society’s biggest challenges. Guests:S. Mitra Kalita (Co-Host), CEO & Co-Founder, URL Media; CEO and Publisher of Epicenter, NYCSara Loma-Reese (Co-Host), Co-Founder, URL Media;  President and CEO of WURD RadioKo Bragg, Race & Place Editor, ScalawagGarry Pierre-Pierre, Founder and Publisher of The Haitian TimesCharles Ellison, Managing Editor of ecoWURD and Executive Producer/Host of “Reality Check” on WURD  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

The F-Word is released bi-weekly featuring timely commentaries by Laura Flanders and guests."Changing the Future with India Walton... Buffalo drew attention this election season after first-time candidate, long-time activist, India Walton won the Democratic primary, positioning her to become this Democratic city’s first African American woman and first Democratic Socialist mayor."Flex your media muscles, become a monthly sustaining member for $3, $5, $12   Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel

Support the show by becoming a member as a monthly supporter for $3 $5 or more at https://Patreon.com/theLFShow  We do not accept corporate or government funding.  We rely on you!  Full Episode Notes are posted at Patreon.com/theLFShow for members and non-members.Eyes across the nation are on the mayoral election in Buffalo, New York, where insurgent candidate India Walton could become the first Black woman—and first Democratic Socialist—to lead the city. Laura Flanders first interviewed Walton in 2019 as part of a profile of community organizations in that city. Two years later in June 2021, Walton shocked the Democratic establishment when she won Buffalo’s Democratic primary. Supporters say her win speaks to the strength of grassroots organizing around the city’s plans for its economic future  and signals a shift in power at the local level. But Buffalo’s four-term incumbent Byron Brown, also a Democrat, challenged Walton’s primary victory, and ran as a write-in candidate. Will the election prove to be a referendum on centrist versus progressive Democrats? And what has it been like to be Walton, in this campaign? Flanders returned to Buffalo for an interview with Walton just as the first time candidate was receiving support from Rep Ocasio Cortez and Senators Schumer and Gillebrand but the state party chairman had just compared her to David Duke and Democratic Governor Hochul had refused to take a position. What is the significance of this election?Guests:India Walton, Mayoral Candidate, Democrat, Buffalo, NYJesse Myerson, Communications Director, India Walton CampaignDrisana Hughes, Campaign Manager, India Walton CampaignChristopher P. Scanlon, South District Council Member, Buffalo, New YorkLouisa Pocheco, Chair of Western New York Chapter, Working Families PartyDivya Sundaram, New York Working Families PartyJay Jacobs, New York State Democratic Committee Chair  Laura Flanders and Friends Crew:  Laura Flanders-Executive Producer, Writer;  Sabrina Artel-Supervising Producer; Jeremiah Cothren-Senior Producer; Veronica Delgado-Video Editor, Janet Hernandez-Communications Director; Jeannie Hopper-Audio Director, Podcast & Radio Producer, Audio Editor, Sound Design, Narrator; Sarah Miller-Development Director, Nat Needham-Editor, Graphic Design emeritus; David Neuman-Senior Video Editor, and Rory O’Conner-Senior Consulting Producer. FOLLOW Laura Flanders and FriendsInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lauraflandersandfriends/Blueky:  https://bsky.app/profile/lfandfriends.bsky.socialFacebook: https://www.facebook.com/LauraFlandersAndFriends/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@lauraflandersandfriendsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFLRxVeYcB1H7DbuYZQG-lgLinkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lauraflandersandfriendsPatreon:   https://www.patreon.com/lauraflandersandfriendsACCESSIBILITY - The broadcast edition of this episode is available with closed captioned by clicking here for our YouTube Channel